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N.Y. state teachers union pulls Common Core support

John King Jr

In this Oct. 24, 2013 file photo, State Education Commissioner John King, Jr., talks to reporters before a forum on Common Core learning reforms at the Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School in Albany.
(Associated Press)

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- New York's largest teachers union has withdrawn its support for the new Common Core learning standards until the state agrees to make what the union calls "major course corrections" to the way they were implemented.

The New York State United Teachers' board of directors also voted over the weekend to declare "no confidence" in the policies of Education Commissioner John King Jr. and called for his removal.

The union wants a three-year moratorium on high-stakes consequences resulting from Common Core-aligned statewide standardized tests, meaning no teachers should be fired nor students kept from graduating because of poor performance.

In a joint response, King and Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch stand by the standards but say they'll make needed adjustments to implementation. Two state panels are studying what those adjustments might entail.